


Cumulonimbus

by MAVEfm



Series: Parallax; or, the Star Trek au no one else will write [1]
Category: Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Aliens, M/M, Starfleet Academy, its not even slow burn the romance isn't central, over half of them are aliens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 17:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12017226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MAVEfm/pseuds/MAVEfm
Summary: Dean Hoppus stared down at him, “Don’t be emo and scare him off.”“I’m not gonna be Emo.” Ryan scoffed and crossed his arms.“That was emo.” Dean Hoppus replied.A self indulgent Star Trek AU that I will probably write a lot more of





	Cumulonimbus

His roommate was late.

 

“He’ll be a few-” Hayley tilted her head and Dallon waited patiently, “Well I guess… Not really he-but anyway, he’ll be a few weeks late, I heard Professor Grohl speaking to your dorm captain.”

 

“Do you know why?” Ryan asks, not questioning her because Hayley Williams knows everything.

 

“He’s…” Hayley squints, “There wasn’t an actual reason given, just that it’s harder for him to travel right now,” she shrugs, “Off planet?” Is her best guess.

 

“Off planet,” Ryan affirms since she’s probably right.

 

The empty bed in Ryan’s assigned dorm had been empty for so long, including his first year, where Spencer and Jon had used it as their personal napping area when they were too tired to attend their respective classes. Nobody would look for them there, save for the long suffering Dean Hoppus.

 

“A few weeks!” Spencer collapsed melodramatically onto the red Starfleet Academy sheets of the extra bed, “Where will I sleep?”

 

“I’m sure if you ask, the guy will let you use the bed,” Ryan flipped through an old edition of The New Yorker and pretended to be interested in an article about Romulan something or others, “Or just… go to class.”

 

Spencer looked at him with laser like eyes, “I’m in McCoy’s group.”

 

“So?”

 

“So…” Spencer didn’t have an answer, “So, you would know why if you knew him!”

 

“I do know him,” Ryan tossed the magazine down, “He’s really nice and you need to know stuff about health if you actually want to work in MedBay.”

 

Spencer muttered something about upperclassmen and Dr. McCoy, “He acts like he’s a teacher.”

 

“Whining about McCoy again?”

 

Jon had practically thrown himself into the room, undoing the fasteners around the neck of his red uniform and falling into Ryan’s unmade bed, “Because that is nothing compared to this fucking… TA I have in my Science Div.”

 

“Ryan’s roommate is coming in a few weeks,” Spencer said into the pillow.

 

“What!” Jon sat up, the blue feathers that lined his hair and decorated his face stood on end, “Where will I sleep!?”

 

Ryan stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at him before asking: “Who’s the TA?”

 

Jon flopped down again unceremoniously with a groan, “Jesus Christ, this Vulcan asshole…”

 

Later, Ryan met with Pete Wentz in Basic Warp Design.

 

“I can’t wait to meet him!” Pete said, enthusiastic as he bent over a diagram of an early 2073 warp core, one of the many red irised eyes on his cheeks glanced up at him, “Do you know what classes he’ll be in?”

 

“Maybe Engineering, same as us,” Ryan shrugged, “But even Hayley doesn’t know.”

 

“I’ll ask Andy, we have Hand-to Hand later.”

 

“Why would Andy know?”

 

“He’s quiet, people don’t see him, maybe he’s heard something.”

 

“My new roommate isn’t some mystery,” Ryan slumped forward in his chair, “We’ll ask him when he gets here, he’s from off planet, that’s all I know.”

 

Dallon Weekes, a student in Ryan’s Earth History class, beamed him a message the next week:

 

        _I know him, his name is Brendon, he’s chill._

 

Ryan frowned, Dallon was incapable of lying, so he doubted this was a joke or something. He glanced over at Dallon, whose long, almost tree like limbs barely fit into his desk, then sent him a message back:

 

        _What?_

 

But Dallon had turned his attention back to the front of the room.

 

Ryan kept using the extra bed for storage.

 

After a while, news of ‘Brendon’ died until it seemed no new roommate was coming at all.

 

Until the day finally came.

 

Dean Hoppus stared down at him, “Don’t be emo and scare him off.”

 

“I’m not gonna be Emo.” Ryan scoffed and crossed his arms.

 

“That was emo.” Dean Hoppus replied.

 

“We’re all adults here,” Jon smiled, “Even if your name is Jim Kirk and you’ve taken the Kobayashi one and a half times.” Hoppus snorted.

 

“Half?”

 

“He tried sneaking in,” Ryan had heard the news from Hayley, “Got as far as touching the seat.”

 

Hoppus snorted louder, “Idiot… But this is off topic, be nice to your roommate and maybe I’ll bring beer to your next rager or whatever you call it now.”

 

“Since when has anyone held a rager?” Ryan asked.

 

Hoppus was already walking away, “Fine, a rave!”

 

Brendon came two days later, toting seven bags on a cart he met Ryan with a musical and clicking laugh, his wide, dark eyes reflected tiny pinpoints of light as they shook hands. He had light and dark pink, coral like fins spread out on his skin, and he was ghostly pale, “It’s so awesome to meet you!” There was the same underlying click to his voice as he spoke. “The only other humans I’ve met- Well I’ve met a lot of humans, but I’ve only ever gotten to know my Dad.”

 

“Ryan,” Ryan shook his hand, “And that’s Spencer,” Spencer smiled wide and shook his hand and smiled big, and the guy with the feathers is Jon.”

 

Jon’s eyes popped open from where he lay on Ryan’s bed, “Not feathers, asshole, how many times-” He bolted upright and his feathers or whatever they were stood on end, “-Holy Crap! Cumulostrati?” He pointed at Brendon who blushed a light lavender color.

 

“I guess?” Brendon shrugged, still smiling, “Only half though.”

 

“Cool,” Ryan nodded, “Like that Vulcan guy.”

 

“But that name isn’t really accurate,” Brendon tilted his head, “Just the human comparison since those are the clouds that we resemble,” He blushed harder and kicked the ground, “Really it’s nebulas and emissions but yeah.”

 

They all introduced themselves happily as Brendon got settled in.

 

The next morning Ryan asked him: “What did you mean it’s all nebulas and emissions?”

 

Brendon shrugged, “Cumulostrati don’t really have a planet? It’s weird, like, we do, but we're formed or born within emissions and nebulas.”

 

“Like Jon was born in an egg.” 

 

Jon’s voice rang from across the hall, “I heard that!”

 

“I don’t know?” Brendon laughed his musical laugh again, “I mean I am half human, so I don’t really know what happened, otherwise I would have nothing to do with Starfleet.”

 

Brendon was in Engineering, same as Ryan but- “I’m hoping I can sign up for Command classes early, so I don’t have to take an extra two years.”

 

Ryan nodded, “That’s cool, I’d rather stay close to the Mechanics though.” Brendon smiled.

 

“Yeah! Have you heard about the new ship? No name yet, just a number-”

 

“NC-1701?” Ryan guessed.

 

“Yeah!” Brendon lit up, and was so loud the Professor actually shushed him, “It’s supposed to be all new tech,” Brendon stage whispered, “Captained by Pike obviously, his record is incredible.” Ryan agreed.

 

Spencer met them on the green on Saturday, “It’s like I’ve never even gone to Med School what the fuck,” he laid down in the grass next to Brendon, “How am I supposed to memorize all this physiology if I’ll have an analyzer?”

 

The click in Brendon’s voice was more obvious than usual when he said: “You seem tense.”

 

Ryan asked: “McCoy again?”

 

“No we made up, I gave him some whiskey…” Spencer put his palms over his eyes, “What if I can’t do this?” Ryan almost threw his lunch at him.

 

“Shut up you can obviously do this.”

 

They’d had this conversation before.

 

“No I can’t,” Spencer shook his head, “I’m not… smart enough, I can’t do anything in the right order, or identify symptoms or-”

 

“I’ve seen your homework,” Brendon said, “I don’t understand a word and you do it so fast, Spencer-”

 

“Theory, not practice Brendon!” Spencer gave him an exhausted look, “Who gives a shit about that?”

 

The conversation was halted too early for Ryan to help much.

 

“Is Brendon in?” A week later, a knock on the door of their room

 

“Yeah, who is it?”

 

Ryan ignored the voice, busy with homework from Physics.

 

“Joe,” The voice answered, “I’m in Interspecies Ethics and I was wondering if I could interview you as part of an assignment?”

 

“Well, I’m half human…”

 

“That’s fine dude, I interviewed that Vulcan guy and he’s half human too.”

 

Brendon let Joe in, “Hey Ryan,” Joe Trohman waved and Ryan nodded in response.

 

“So what’s the assignment?”

 

“Oh,” Joe dug in his backpack, a classic pencil and paper kind of guy, “So like, I interview a bunch of off-planet guys from a species that’s different from my own, or half different in your case, about making an easier and ethical connection… you know that’s… Interspecies.” He shrugged, “We had different choices for the assignment and this was way easier than all the others.”

 

Brendon chuckled, “Go ahead, man!”

 

“Awesome,” Joe readied his notebook and Ryan turned his attention slightly to listen, “So tell me your name and stuff.”

 

“Uh… Brendon Urie… and I’ve gone in between Yorktown and Earth? Sorta, and my mom’s side doesn’t really have a name, so humans always called them Cumulostrati.”

 

Joe scribbled in chicken scratch handwriting as he listened.

 

“And Cumulostrati don’t actually have a planet, they’re more formed in Emissions in Space around Nebulas and shit, but we’re really adaptable, even if I’m half human, zero breathing air doesn’t bother me.”

 

“Like Andy,” Joe nodded, “He can go outside without an air supply but he can’t last past like an hour.”

 

“Yeah!” Brendon smiled, “So is that all or…”

 

“Uh,” Joe looked down at his paper and Ryan gave up on trying to finish his work and moved to sit on his bed to listen. “So, if I or someone else was to describe your species, are there any names or describing words to avoid when talking to you or another person?”

 

Brendon thought for a minute, “Not that I can think of, we’re a really peaceful people like it takes a lot to get my mom angry, and I’ve never felt insulted…” He shrugged.

 

“Uh…” Joe scribbled again, “Do you feel there are any topics to avoid, or any subjects or questions about you or your species, that would feel unfair to talk about with someone that doesn’t relate directly or indirectly?”

 

Brendon frowned.

 

“And there’s a follow-up,” Joe paused, “Do you personally have an opinion or point of view that you could express that relates to these topics?”

 

“Oh…” Brendon understood, “I guess… Personally,” He gave Joe a look, “I get uncomfortable, I guess, when people get really touchy or up-close? Like I’m okay with explaining things, but not when people touch the stuff they’re asking about.” He rubs the coral like patterns and raised areas on his skin.

 

“Jon’s like that too,” Ryan says, “When people touch his feathers.”

 

Brendon looks at him in thanks, “Yeah!”

 

“Anything else?” Joe asked.

 

“I guess…” Brendon lays back in his bed and thinks for a moment, “Oh! People ask how I was born all the time for some fucking reason, it’s ‘cause I’m half human, and Cumulostrati are formed without organic DNA, like, how am I supposed to know every detail of my birth?! I’m half space cloud not… Some other thing.”

 

He sat up, “Actually I think it’s really interesting too, like my mom came to visit my dad in Yorktown and told him all this stuff about me before I had a brain and stuff and how cool and different it was, my mom’s a huge nerd,” Brendon tossed Ryan a fond look and Ryan couldn’t help but smile, “I think it’s romantic, but I’m not gonna try and explain the weird details.”

 

Joe smiled, “I get it man,” he said, scribbling once again in his notebook.

 

“Your parents sound cute,”  Ryan said, offering Brendon a small smile.

 

“Yeah… They’re so in love.” Brendon blushed a light lavender. But Ryan tilted his head.

 

"Did I do that? When we first met? The question about being born."

 

Brendon shook his head quickly, "No way! you asked me about Emissions and stuff about Cumulostrati so I told you, don't worry dude, you're like... the most tactful person I know."

 

The interview turned toward less interesting topics as it went on, leaving Ryan to his work.

 

A month later Jon asked him: “Have you seen Brendon around?” 

 

“He’s hanging out with Dallon, something about plants,” Ryan had no time for Botany class anymore, he hated it actually, he couldn’t keep anything alive.

 

“Okay…” Jon paused, “Can I ask you something?”

 

Ryan gave him a glance, “About what?”

 

“Spencer.”

 

“Why were you looking for Brendon then?”

“They’ve been hanging out a lot, maybe Brendon could answer my question.”

 

“They’ve been hanging out?” Ryan hadn’t noticed, maybe it was Warp Design, his project with Pete was growing bigger every day. He’d slept in the Engineering building for two days in the last week.

 

“I’m worried Spencer might drop Medical,” Jon muttered.

 

“What?!” Ryan dropped his books and they smacked against the clean tile with satisfyingly loud SNAP!

 

“Shhh,” Jon urged, looking around embarrassed at the students that had turned to stare at them, “I don’t know for sure, but Spencer’s been going to Professor Armstrong for a few weeks but he won’t tell me why.”

 

“What the fuck would Spencer even do if he drops Medical?!” Ryan sat down hard on a bench, “Tribble Care?”

 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, he won’t talk to me anymore…”

 

Spencer was sparse after that, maybe he knew they had talked, or just didn’t want to see them, Ryan couldn’t figure out. And for how close they had gotten, Brendon didn’t know either.

 

“Did I do something wrong?” Brendon asked after they had cornered Spencer in the Mess only a week later, “I don’t understand,” He cried so easily, and the click in his voice seemed to elevate everyone else’s emotions too, sounding so lonely and confused.

 

Spencer could barely look at him, but gave Ryan a glance that was filled with embarrassment and shame, “Just leave me alone, okay?”

 

So they did.

 

Classes seemed to return to something resembling normal for a few weeks, and Ryan ignored Spencer’s appointments with Armstrong and resisted the urge to ask Hayley if she knew anything.

 

He avoided the topic around Brendon too, only telling him to stop blaming himself for something he didn't even know the details of. But he seemed akin to fragile glass around Spencer.

 

Spencer seemed perpetually red in the face, not in anger, but something inexplicable that Ryan, who knew warp drives better than people, couldn't understand.

 

Brendon applied for Command classes soon after, “They said it’s unlikely I’ll get accepted, but I’ve been thinking of switching to Ship Welfare classes too? Someone’s gotta make sure gravity and Oxygen work.”

 

“It’s just another part of Engineering right?” Pete looked at him with a few of his eyes as he sat on the floor of their dorm putting a few more finishing touches to the beginning of their joint report.

 

“Uh-huh, and maybe something with Botany, Dallon’s got me really interested.”

 

“Who knew?” Pete tilted his head, smiling with shark teeth, “A plant based alien that’s into Botany?”

 

Brendon giggled, “That’s Dallon.”

 

Two weeks later, “I didn’t get in,” Brendon deflated.

 

Jon threw an arm over his shoulder, “That’s alright, dude, sometimes shit doesn’t work out.”

 

“I really wanted it to though.”

 

“Not everyone can be Pavel Andreievich Chekov,” Ryan shook his head, “Not even a guy that’s basically made of space.”

 

Brendon snorted, “Maybe...No, I’m gonna try again.”

 

“Yeah, you got until next year to prepare,” Spencer patted his shoulder.

 

“Nuh-uh,” Brendon clicked, “This year, I’m gonna be persistent as hell right? I’ll message Pavel Chekov if I have to, there are no real rules against it right?” He gave Spencer a look so determined that Spencer coughed, “I’ll use my mom’s name even!” He grabbed Spencer around the shoulders.

 

“Well don’t get ahead of yourself,” Ryan stretched his palms in front of himself.

 

“I have to keep trying, I don’t want to wait, what if we get different ships when we graduate ‘cause I have to stay two more years? No way, this space cloud is doing it this year.”

 

They finished the conversation with Brendon flushed lavender, his clicking excited, and Ryan could see Spencer grow pink as Brendon gripped his shoulders.

 

Dean Hoppus had let them onto the roof of their dorm one night.

 

Jon and Ryan sat near the edge to look across campus, and Brendon had apparently invited Pete, Andy, Hayley, Joe, and a slightly twitchy kid with gold eyes named Patrick. “I get them from my grandpa,” He had said.

 

Hoppus delivered on the beer, and Spencer had had the balls to invite Jim Kirk.

 

“He told me!” Spencer kept insisting, “He told me! He might grab a drink!”

 

The group mocked him good naturedly.

 

Jon let his legs hang off the roof as he and Ryan chatted, he looked more alien under the light of the stars, his feathers glowing and his eyes reflected pools of light from the moon. Ryan could see the unnatural way he moved as he spoke, more prominent now in the dark as light trailed behind even the slightest twitch.

 

“He’s still weird,” Jon indicated to Spencer, “Skipping class, he won’t talk to me about it anymore, he leaves if I bring it up.”

 

Ryan couldn’t help but stare back at his friend, telling funny stories as he drank, “He doesn’t bottle things, at least he didn’t use to.” He picked at his nails, “Brendon thinks it’s because of him, like his coming to Starfleet made Spencer do this, be like this.”

 

“We could talk to Hank,” Jon said.

 

“No, Jon-”

 

“I’m serious, Ryan, McCoy is his friend, even if Jim hogs him, he ought to know something.”

 

Saturday came slow, thanks to Ryan’s anticipation for it, and Jon dragged him to Medical first thing on the promise the coffee was better there than in the mess.

 

Hank McCoy was a scruffy guy, Ryan noted, jealous.

 

“What do you want.” He said, but it wasn’t really a question.

 

“Can we talk to you about Spencer?” Jon asked.

 

“Pft, sure.”

 

They talked, and Hank said: “He’s good at his job, slips up, yeah… I know he’s been thinking about dropping, but what the hell would he switch to? Tribble Care?”

 

And other things like: “We all get like that sometimes, Medical’s curse… It’s a rough patch, some kids don’t really get out of it and become… Lawyers or Cops or something.” He gives a look like it’s the last thing he could ever think of to be.

 

And stuff like: “He is distracted I guess… look, maybe you should talk to him yourself, maybe tell him to actually sleep sometimes, he can’t be looking at patients with his eyes glazed over like he’s just picked up a wine bottle after a sip of gasoline.”

 

“But he goes to bed the same as me…” Jon knit his brow.

 

“Bones!” Jim  Kirk yelled from outside the door, growing ever closer.

 

Hank rolled his eyes and Jim Kirk stole Hank McCoy.

 

“I want to talk to him,” Brendon said, “I don’t care if we have to hold him down.”

 

Spencer looked like he had been punched, the bags under his eyes were so dark, Ryan wondered how he hadn’t noticed.

 

Pete reminded him of their projects deadline and Ryan figured it out.

 

They couldn’t find Spencer to hold him down, however, not that day, or the days after.

 

Ryan found him on the roof that Sunday night, “Hoppus never locked it,” Spencer leaned against the edge and stared at his feet.

 

Ryan sat next to him.

 

“I’m not gonna jump or anything,” Spencer said, looking up to the stars, “It’s not high enough anyway, I’d just break my legs and ribs and stuff.”

 

Ryan stayed silent.

 

Spencer sighed, heavier than he ever had it seemed, “I can’t do anything right… My dad messaged me, I can’t do anything that seems right to him.” Ryan hummed his response.

 

“Do you think I should drop it?”

 

Ryan looked over at him, “Not ever.”

 

Spencer’s expression softened.

 

“It’s not Brendon’s fault, it could never be-” He halted, and Ryan kept on wondering how he had missed it.

 


End file.
